Over the last decade global mobility has increased with the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the UAE and Qatar all becoming attractive destinations for employees looking to relocate.

According to a recent survey conducted by international recruitment consultancy firm Robert Walters, more and more professionals believe that working overseas is both beneficial from a personal perspective and is also important to their current careers and future prospects. International assignments are good resume builders as they allow access to new cultures and languages and broaden professional networks.

The survey that focuses primarily on career lifestyles shows that 47% of the professionals spoken to rate overseas experience as “important” or “very important” to their future careers, which constitutes a 6 percentage point increase compared to the figures from 2013. Furthermore 76% of the individuals surveyed have already worked abroad or would like to carry out an international assignment at some point in their careers.

The main reasons behind this desire to be professionally mobile are the opportunities to experience new cultures (48%) or improve long-term career prospects (21%) with only 13% claiming salary as the main driver.

Global mobility is therefore beneficial for employees but is also an important element for employers to take into account. The Robert Walker survey found that opportunities for career progression are deemed more important for employees than pay, flexible hours or benefits; therefore an organization that shows that they offer international mobility opportunities can attract new talent to the company as well as securing current employees.

Furthermore, international mobility can help organizations that have multinational operations face potential talent shortages and allows them to optimize their activities by putting the best employees in the best locations. Employees that have experienced international assignments also offer new knowledge, skills and languages and can help companies become more competitive and efficient.

By providing assistance at every step of the relocation process, Expat US facilitates global mobility for employees and employers.

*The survey concerning career lifestyle can be found at the Robert Walters website.

Moving to New York and trying to decide where in the city you would like to live can seem daunting, especially as New York boasts many different neighborhoods. We have compiled a list of our favorite neighborhoods, both in Manhattan and Brooklyn in order to give you a better idea of what to expect.

Manhattan

- DOWNTOWN

Between 14th Street and the south tip of the Island is known as Downtown in New York. Here you will find Wall Street and the financial districts. This is the centre of power, with the relaxing part of East Village, Greenwich Village, Little Italy and Soho.

These neighbourhoods are generally preferred by single expats or couples without children. Although some areas, such as TriBeCa, NoHo and Greenwich, have attracted more families due to their well-known public schools.

Downtown is quite expensive to live in; however, some neighbourhoods such as Little Italy, East Village, Lower East Side and the Financial District are more affordable. In these districts, expats can find a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment for around USD 4,000 per month.

Little Italy:

This thriving district of Manhattan is brimming with unique boutiques, restaurants, and cafes. Each September, the community hosts the Feast of San Gennaro, which is marked with several colourful parades and religious processions.

NoHo:

An abbreviation for North of Houston Street, NoHo is a district in Manhattan that is situated between East Village and Greenwich Village. One of New York’s most desirable neighbourhoods, it is characterised by loft apartments in transformed commercial buildings that were built from the 1850s to the 1910s. Attractions here include the Angelicka Film Center, the Joseph Papp Public Theatre, Astor Place Theatre, Hebrew Union College and the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

East Village:

The East Village is part of Greenwich Village in New York. This area is home to many attractions, such as New York University, Astor Library and McSorley’s Old Ale House, an old pub since 1854. Ethnic restaurants dominate this district as Indian eateries line the southern side of East Sixth Street, earning the nickname ‘Little Bombay’.

SoHo:

SoHo, or South of Houston, is situated in Lower Manhattan. It is famous for its edgy galleries, hip restaurants and stylish boutiques. A number of upscale hotels are also found here. This is a must-see neighbourhood for any visitor or expat in New York.

West Village:

The western side of Greenwich Village is called the West Village, and is a lively area with a variety of restaurants, nightclubs, stores and galleries.

TriBeCa:

TriBeCa includes many historic streets, which are home to various culinary, architectural and cultural spots. There are many shopping, dining and artistic places and events in this area.

Greenwich Village:

Famous as the home of Bob Dylan and the haven of many other notable artists, both musical and literary, the historic area of Greenwich Village is filled with galleries, jazz clubs, crafts, dining areas, parks, night clubs and coffee shops.

Meatpacking District:

Located at the northwest corner of Greenwich Village from West 14th Street on the north to Gansevoort Street at the south, the Meatpacking District was originally a farmers’ market and then a meat market. Now, this district has a number of trendy restaurants, bars, boutiques, galleries, dance joints, and furniture and antique stores.

Financial District:

New York’s Financial District includes a number of major sights, such as South Street Seaport, Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, Battery Park, Trinity Church and the Woolworth Building.

The financial district is home to many medium and large-sized corporations and organisations, including landmarks such as the Gilded Age, the Federal Hall and the New York Stock Exchange

Lower East Side:

The Lower East Side, where old-world shops sit side by side with a new generation of boutiques and galleries that showcase the best of New York’s avant-garde fashion scene. Lower East Side cuisine has developed a faithful following, with some of New York City’s best Kosher-style, Chinese and Latin food establishments. Once the sun goes down, the curtain goes up on the Lower East Side’s nightlife where one can enjoy cozy lounges, local bands and poetry readings.

NoLita:

Known as NoLita, the North of Little Italy is an Italian-influenced district with an array of galleries, restaurants and shops. Area attractions include St Patrick’s Old Cathedral and the Puck Building.

Chelsea:

Chelsea is a neighbourhood on the West Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It’s known as a melting pot of cultures and features a thriving art scene and gay community.

- MIDTOWN

Midtown is located between 14th Street and 59th Street. The district reaches the whole way up to the south entrance of Central Park. As the nucleus of New York, Midtown is a bustling and thriving district, brimming with hotels, restaurants and attractions. It is also home to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Broadway, Fifth Avenue and some of the finest shopping in the world.

This area of New York City is generally preferred by single expats or couples without children, as it is the busy part of Manhattan and good schools are rare. Midtown is considered less expensive to live in than Downtown or Uptown. In this area, expats will mostly find high-rise buildings, and should expect to pay on average USD 6,000 per month for a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with amenities, and USD 4,000 for one without.

Theater District

New York’s Theatre District is world renowned. Located in Midtown Manhattan, it encapsulates most of Broadway’s theatres. Stretching from 40th Street to 54th Street, it also includes Times Square as well as many movie theatres, gourmet restaurants and upscale hotels.

Broadway:

Broadway Avenue, running the length of Manhattan from almost the southern tip of the island, is considered the most famous street of the American theatre industry. The avenue hosts many New York attractions and landmarks. It is one of the oldest streets in NYC and is also home to such landmarks as the Lincoln Center, the Juliard School of Music, Central Park and Macy’s.

Hell's Kitchen:

Once home to gangsters and a rougher element, this Manhattan neighbourhood underwent gentrification in the 1990s and is now home to Broadway actors and affluent Wall Street workers. An eclectic mix of restaurants and bars are located here, along with specialty boutiques and art galleries.

Midtown-East:

Midtown East stretches from 42nd Street north to 59th, and East of Fifth Avenue to the East River. The area is populated with some of New York’s most iconic landmarks. It is an area full of attractions and iconic landmarks.

Gramercy & Flatiron District:

Famous for its 20-story Flatiron building, Flatiron District includes a number of boutiques, retail shops and stores. The area is considered one of the popular shopping districts in New York.

The league-average ‘hood is mostly bereft of bars and restaurants despite being rebranded as the more fashionable “NoMad”.

- UPTOWN

Everything north of 59th Street is considered Uptown. Here you will find Central Park and more museums. Uptown is a mix of rich and poor and an area full of contrasts, with stylish residential areas and the more stereotyped area of Harlem.

Some of the best public and private schools in New York are located in the Uptown area, particularly in the wealthiest section of the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side. Thus, this area is preferred by families with kids.

Expats will find townhouses, pre-war buildings and some high-rise buildings in Uptown New York, and can expect to pay around USD 6,500 per month for a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with amenities, and USD 5,000 for one without.

Upper East Side:

The illustrious Upper East Side is widely renowned for its high-quality residential living and its world-class cultural institutions. This neighbourhood is famous for being safe, green and beautiful, so it’s no wonder that the Upper East Side is easily one of the greatest neighbourhoods in Manhattan.

Upper West Side:

This upscale area lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and features some of the most expensive real estate on the planet. A plethora of elegant restaurants, boutiques and cafés can also be found on the Upper West Side.

Harlem:

Located located just north of Central Park and within the borough of Manhattan, Harlem has traditionally been an African-American neighbourhood since the 1920s, but it was originally settled as a Dutch village in 1658. Harlem has had its challenges but since 1995, the area has been in the process of gentrification. Its rich heritage and culture can today be observed at a number of landmarks.

BROOKLYN

Brooklyn is located southeast of Manhattan on the other side of the East River. Brooklyn is a very multicultural and multi-ethnic area. Expats will find plenty of townhouses in Brooklyn, which is reputed to be as expensive as Manhattan in the neighbourhoods where you can find the greatest schools: expect to pay from USD 3,500 to USD 5,000 per month for a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment. Otherwise, prices are about 30 percent lower in the less popular neighbourhoods.

Expats will find good public schools in the neighbourhoods listed below:

Carroll Gardens:

Carroll Garden is a great neighbourhood with tree-lined streets, beautiful brownstones with front and back gardens, a diverse array of restaurants and bars, good local delis and Italian markets.

Park Slope:

Park Slope is known for its beautiful tree-lined streets and historic brownstones, and is home to a diverse range of popular restaurants and bars. Prospect Park makes up the neighbourhood’s “back yard,” transportation is plentiful, local schools are top-rated, and the area boasts several world-class museums and cultural institutions.

Williamsburg:

Williamsburg is a neighbourhood with multiple personalities. Here, expats will find a large Hasidic Jewish community, Polish and Latino enclaves, and plenty of hipster cool. This warehouse-filled, once industrial area now has a thriving art and music scene, stellar restaurants, and some of the city’s most interesting shopping.

Greenpoint:

Since 2005, Greenpoint has expanded. In addition to the Polish influence, now many young people who have been priced out of the Williamsburg neighbourhood call Greenpoint home, facilitating the opening of great bars and restaurants.

Columbus Day originated as a celebration of Italian-American heritage and was first held in San Francisco in 1869. The first state-wide celebration was held in Colorado in 1907. In 1937, Columbus Day become a holiday across the United States.

Since 1971, it has been celebrated on the second Monday in October. This date, which represents the day that Columbus arrived in the Americas is also celebrated as the Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) in Latin America and some Latino communities in the USA. However, it is a controversial holiday in some countries and has been re-named in others.

Here are 10 fun facts about the sailor who remains “the discoverer of the Americas”:

1. Columbus did not set out to prove the earth was round.Contrary to popular belief by 1492 most educated people knew that the world was round, but they did not yet know that the Pacific Ocean existed. As a result, Columbus and his contemporaries assumed that only the Atlantic lay between Europe and the riches of the East Indies.

2. Christopher Columbus was not the first European to cross the Atlantic.Leif Eriksson, a Norse Viking, is believed to have landed in present-day Newfoundland around 1000 A.D., almost five centuries before Columbus set sail. If we go further back, some historians even claim that Ireland’s Saint Brendan or other Celtic people crossed the Atlantic before Eriksson.

3. Three countries refused to finance Columbus’ voyage.Portugal, England and France refused to finance Columbus’ quest to discover a western sea route to Asia. According to the royal advisors, his calculations were wrong and the journey would take much longer than he thought. In Spain similar concerns were raised to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Advisors were right, Christopher Columbus underestimated the earth’s circumference and the size of the oceans. That’s why (luckily for him and his crew) he ran into the uncharted Americas.

4. Columbus’ had several ships but Nina and Pinta were not the real names.In 15th-century Spain, ships were traditionally named after saints. However, one of the three ships on Columbus’ 1492 voyage was dubbed the Pinta, Spanish for “the painted one” or “prostitute.” The Santa Clara, was nicknamed the Nina in honor of its owner, Juan Nino. Finally, the Santa Maria is called by its official name, even if its nickname was La Gallega, after the province of Galicia in which it was built.

5. The Santa Maria was wrecked on Columbus’ historic voyage.On Christmas Eve of 1492, the ship ran into a coral reef on the northern coast of Hispaniola, near present-day Cap Haitien, Haiti. The whole crew spent Christmas night salvaging the Santa Maria. Columbus returned to Spain aboard the Nina, but he had to leave nearly 40 crewmembers behind to start the first European settlement in the Americas (La Navidad).Sadly, when Columbus returned to the settlement in the fall of 1493, none of the crew were found alive.

6. Columbus made four voyages to the New World.Although best known for his historic 1492 expedition, Columbus returned to the Americas three more times in the following decade. His voyages took him to Caribbean islands, South America and Central America.

7. Columbus returned to Spain in chains in 1500.Columbus’s governance of Hispaniola could be brutal and tyrannical. Native islanders who did not collect enough gold could have their hands cut off, and rebel Spanish colonists were executed at the gallows. Colonists complained to the monarchy about mismanagement and a royal commissioner dispatched to Hispaniola arrested Columbus in August 1500 and brought him back to Spain in chains. Although Columbus was stripped of his governorship, King Ferdinand not only granted the explorer his freedom but subsidized a fourth voyage.

8. Tintin and Christopher Columbus both used a lunar eclipse as their “savior”In February 1504, Christopher Columbus was stranded in Jamaica, abandoned by half his crew and denied food by the islanders. Once again, the heavens that he relied on for navigation, would save him. Knowing from his almanac that a lunar eclipse was coming on February 29, 1504, Columbus warned the islanders that his god was upset with their refusal of food and that the moon would “rise inflamed with wrath” as an expression of divine displeasure. On the appointed night, the eclipse darkened the moon and turned it red, and the terrified islanders offered provisions and beseeched Columbus to ask his god for mercy. A tintin story was inspired by this.

9. Columbus continued to cross the Atlantic after his death.Following his death in 1506, Columbus was buried in Valladolid, Spain, and then moved to Seville. At the request of his daughter-in-law, the bodies of Columbus and his son Diego were shipped across the Atlantic to Hispaniola and interred in a Santo Domingo cathedral. When the French captured the island in 1795, the Spanish dug up remains thought to be those of the explorer and moved them to Cuba before returning them to Seville after the Spanish-American War in 1898. However, a box with human remains and the explorer’s name was discovered inside the Santo Domingo cathedral in 1877. Did the Spaniards exhume the wrong body? DNA testing in 2006 found evidence that at least some of the remains in Seville are those of Columbus. The Dominican Republic has refused to let the other remains be tested. It could be possible that pieces of Columbus are both in the New World and the Old World.

10. Legacy: Heirs of Columbus and the Spanish monarchy were in litigation until 1790.After the death of Columbus, his heirs waged a lengthy legal battle with the Spanish crown, claiming that the monarchy short-changed them on money and profits that were owed to the explorer. Most of the Columbus lawsuits were settled by 1536, but the legal proceedings nearly dragged on until the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ famous voyage.

If, like Colombus, you are thinking about crossing the Atlantic to relocate to the U.S., be sure to use Expat US relocation services for all your needs.

Human Resources department have always been faced with difficulties when it comes to relocating their employees. When the relocation is to a foreign country with a different language and culture the process can prove even more difficult. Furthermore if the distance between the home country and the host country is great, HR departments can have trouble managing the relocation.

The expatriation process is complex which makes it hard for Human Resources to deal with it for their employees. The distance also means that they cannot be hands-on and help directly. Relocation services such as Expat US solve this problem by taking on the entire relocation process.

Managing the relocation internally can be risky, expensive and time consuming. For those reasons, using a relocation agency is definitely the best way to relocate your employees.

Expat US will take care of all the formalities, allowing you to follow the progress of your employee’s relocation step by step, thanks to our guarantee of complete transparency. As mentioned in our previous article “How to convince employees to move abroad”, we assist assignees from the very beginning to the end of the relocation process.

We arrange everything with our team, from finding them the perfect home and moving their personal effects there, to helping find a school for their children, to opening a bank account and getting a social security number and a local driver license etc. which leaves the assignees free to concentrate on more important concerns.

With over 7 years’ experience, we know the difficulties linked to relocation and how to face them. We do not only save expatriation from failure, we also allow you to benefit from our experience to save time, money and stress. Here are a few reasons why our services could be ideal for you for your expatriation needs.

Save time & money

Everyone knows that time is money and using Expat US for your relocation needs will save you a great deal of time. Thanks to our extensive experience and knowledge of the areas we work in, we can work quickly and efficiently in order to meet your needs.

We take over all the steps of the employee’s relocation with our time saving services at competitive prices.

By having a large network of real estate brokers who have a strong knowledge of the market ensures that you pay the right price for your property. We organize visits with the expatriate or we can visit properties for them depending on their preferences and availability.

Expat US also takes on other tasks, which can sometimes prove to be the most time consuming during a relocation process. For example, we can find the perfect school for the expatriate’s children and take care of the enrolment. We can also help with finding the best provider for utilities and getting them set up or helping to apply for a social security number or local driver’s license.

Expat US allow you to save time for the other services (and maybe the most stressful ones) that an expatriation require. We find the perfect school for the children of the expatriates and we take care of the enrolment. We help in every step like to subscribe to a provider for your utilities or to get a social security number.

In short, we can provide everything an expatriate needs to settle into their new environment as we know exactly what these needs can be, we understand them and know how to meet them in the best and fastest way.

One of the main advantage to our services is that we deal with all the different providers so you do not have to. Our centralized service means you do not need to waste time as we deal with every aspect of the process.

Save yourself stress

Relocating employees is a stressful situation for everyone involved. At Expat US we aim to reduce all stress to a minimum by taking care of everything linked to the move and by continuously communicating with the employee who is relocating and their HR service. Full transparence at every step of the process means that you will always know what is happening.

Services completely tailored to your situation

As each client is unique, we adapt our services to fit each client’s requirements, whatever they may be, to ensure a completely tailored service.

All research is taken care of by our responsive team who is in charge of your case from start to finish. Having the same people taking care of your case means that no time is wasted explaining the same needs, requirements or concerns over and over. You know your advisors and they know you and your needs.

Expat US was founded in 2007 in order to meet the needs of Human Resources departments and their expatriates.

The failure depends on the length, the timing and the destination of the expatriation.Those risks can be dramatically reduced using relocation services as Expat US.

Knowing the failure rate of expatriation has become essential for businesses and regarding the costs related to those failures, companies can’t ignore the risks.Indeed, the loss for the failed expatriation is estimated at about $2 billion / year just in the United States.

Main Reasons for Assignment Failure

The main indicators to measure the expatriation failures are:

·The rate of premature return

·The under performance of the employee

·The early withdrawal of employees after their expatriation

The state of mind of the employee and its family is an important success factor for the mission.Almost 60% of the premature returns are due to a bad adaptation of the expatriates themselves or their family. The employee sent abroad has to manage the process of adaptation to the culture of the host country but also the adaptation to the host company.

Some features to take into account

The management of the relocation is expensive, but certainly less than an unsuccessful expatriate mission if you omit some parameters. For example an expatriate in the U.S. represents about 3 to 5 times the wage he earns in France.

When expatriation fails, there are many consequences to face. You have to deal with the loss of the immigration charges and obviously the money invested unnecessarily. On top of that you can add the loss of time due to the failure of the expatriation project and also the time needed to find a new candidate. This includes the preparation of this new employee and his family of course. You will have to start from scratch which can be especially annoying if the mission was urgent.

Commitment of the companies for the moving of their employees

In one hand, companies do not have direct obligations to participate in the management of the relocation. In the other hand, some of their engagements require them to do so indirectly.For instance, companies have to protect their employees against any foreseeable risks. According to the law, the company is responsible for any incident. Therefore, it may be better to take over the apartment search, for example, to ensure that no risk weighs on the safety of the employee and its family. Using relocation services as Expat US is the better option to avoid any problems.

Expatriation failure: Some figures

According to the survey of 196 HR Managers (NFTC), here are the main causes of expatriation failures*:

Family unable to adapt to the host location = 30%

Employee unable to adapt to the host location = 28%

Voluntary termination = 27%

Stated objectives of the assignment not met = 26%

*multiple responses possible

Skills of the expatriate

Professional dimension of the mission (hard skills) is only one of several reasons of the failure but not the main one. The adaptability of workers (soft skills) are essential, not only for the expatriate but also for its family. All of these skills required have an impact and a cost for companies. According to this study, 46% faced premature return between 2008 and 2009.

Return of the expatriate

The cultural shock of return (as know as "Re Entry Shock") must be taken into account, which is very rarely the case. You can see the percentage of employees who leave the company between one and two years after their return from expatriation

Mismatch between expatriate and its home company

Expatriated workers, even those who do well overseas, are often dissatisfied with their assignments upon return. They feel that they do not have the opportunity to put what they learned into practice. For this reason, some expatriate former employees decide to leave their companies.

Recommendation

As you know now, expatriation is a long and complex process that need to be handle by specialists. Expat US can assist you throughout your project providing you all the services needed for a good relocation. Expat US provides also extra services to make the employee feel supported from the beginning to the end. Our services commit to ensure a client-follow up during the 3 months following the end of the contract with the expatriate.